Shadow Flights: America's Secret Air War against the Soviet Union

Shadow Flights: America's Secret Air War against the Soviet Union

Synopsis

During the Cold War the American military conducted an air war against the Soviet Union in the U-2 spyplane. However, when a plane was hit, it blew the lid off the supersecret war. Peebles throws light on a still secret aspect of Super Power relations.

Excerpt

At 10:04 A.M. Pacific standard time (PST) on December 20, 1996, the roar from the rocket engines of a Titan IV booster echoed across Vandenberg Air Force Base. The booster lifted off Satellite Launch Complex 4-East and climbed into the clear blue sky trailing a plume of white smoke and orange flame. A few seconds later, the wall of sound reached the press site. It was a loud, crackling noise that grew in volume and physical power until one's chest vibrated. The rocket climbed vertically, then turned south and headed toward polar orbit. The two solid-fuel boosters burned out, then fell away. Soon after, the first-stage engines shut down. The second stage then separated; its engine ignited and propelled the payload toward orbit. Within a few minutes, confirmation was received that the satellite was successfully placed into orbit.

Before the launch, each member of the small group of reporters was given a blue folder. Inside was a single-page press release stating that the payload aboard the rocket was "a satellite designed and built by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)." It continued: "This event is the first time the U.S. Government has acknowledged, in advance, the launch of a reconnaissance satellite." Also in the press kit was a small booklet explaining that "the NRO manages the research, development, acquisition and operation of U.S. spy satellites. . . . NRO-gathered intelligence is used to monitor arms control agreements, to support indications and warning requirements, and to help plan and conduct military operations." Some of the NRO's successes included providing accurate information on the Soviet Union's ICBM programs, exposing deception operations such as North Korea's attempts to mask a nuclear weapons facility, and detection of Iraqi violations of United Nations (UN) sanctions as the Iraqis massed troops along the Kuwaiti border.